Image projectors of the cycloramic type have been known at least as early as the beginning of the twentieth century and various patents thereon have been granted, among these being French Pat. No. 705,771 to A&L Lumiere (1902) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,068,410 (1937) to F. C. Hanke et al. These two systems utilize multi-image optics but problems arise with respect to reliability, programming and image matching. This is due to the fact that there is more than one optical system and film transport.
Another arrangement for projecting cycloramic images is by the use of some type of wide angle, anamorphic image. In this system a flat film is crawled or advanced rapidly past a light source and lens. The image is then reflected into a prism of rotation such as a sphere or cone. A major disadvantage of this type of system is that a problem of aspect ratio arises, i.e., a very large cylindrical image must be produced by a very small area of film, i.e., the flux (heat per unit area per second) of light being transmitted through the frame has to be extremely high. Projection systems of this type are disclosed, for example, in French Pat. No. 338,386 (1903) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,244,235 (1941) to Ayres.